DEED announces inaugural Warrior Impact strategist experience winners

The Warrior Impact program within the Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (DEED) is just one example of how Wayne State fuels Detroit's innovation economy. It offers all Wayne State undergraduate students access to paid experiential learning within Detroit-based startups - at no cost to startups themselves thanks to Federal Work-Study.

Within Warrior Impact students participate in one of three "paths":

• Traditional internships: Students work up to 20 hours per week for 12 consecutive weeks over the summer.
• Micro-internships: Students work up to 10 hours per week for six consecutive weeks.
• Strategist experience: In teams, students work up to 10 hours per week for six consecutive weeks for one employer partner. At the end of the experience, they pitch their ideas to their employer and fellow strategist teams. The employer partner selects a "winning" strategist team, whose members earn prizes.

At the Nov. 7 Warrior Impact open house, three strategist teams presented and pitched their ideas to employer partner Motmot, a Michigan Central -based organization that specializes in smart infrastructure technology. Motmot provides data-driven asset management for underground water main systems, which helps cities move from reactive repairs to predictive planning. The company was founded in 2023 by Wayne State alumnus Elliot Smith '17, who also serves as its president and chief executive officer.

Both DEED and Motmot are proud to highlight the Fall 2025 winning Warrior Impact strategist team:

"We were impressed by how much effort the teams put into learning a complex and unfamiliar industry in a short amount of time, and each team showcased their talent for preparation and curiosity," Smith said. "The winning team stood out because they took time to understand Motmot's stage, constraints, and market before proposing solutions. Their presentation was thoughtful and focused, and provided recommendations we could act on."

"DEED is so thankful for the tremendous effort each strategist team dedicated to responding to Motmot's project brief. We could not have asked for a better inaugural cohort of teams," said Emily Thompson, assistant vice president of regional competitiveness and impact. "We congratulate Hussein, Destiny, Makiya, and Sadiya on this well-earned distinction."

The strategists' challenge

Student participants in this edition's strategist experience faced a difficult challenge: after just four (rather than six) 10-hour weeks, they were asked to research, prototype and present a next-generation risk assessment report for municipalities using Motmot's pipeline inspection data. More specifically, Motmot wanted the teams to blend qualitative and quantitative data to create:

• A user research summary
• A prototype of a risk assessment report (as a PDF or PowerBI mockup)
• A communication framework for how Motmot should visually present inspection results
• A final presentation that combined all these elements showing the team's research, design rationale, and a walkthrough of their prototype

Throughout the experience all teams had open access to both DEED and Motmot experts, who supported teams through working sessions, office hours, and more.

Rising to the occasion

Creating the report and presentation was a demanding task. To meet the challenge, Abdullah, Coleman-Williams, Moore, and Omima focused on preparation, teamwork, time management, and constant communication.

"From the outset we assigned roles to each group member, so we each had our own specialties and tasks," Omima said. "Each week when we met, we talked about what we needed to get done, what we needed to get started, etc."

"The roles were strategy lead, design lead, data scientist, and project manager," Abdullah said. "We assigned roles based off our personalities and what we're good at, which really helped propel the project. We had a complementary mix of people and experience - in business, tech, engineering - so we each brought strengths to the table."

"Our greatest challenge was finding the right times to have meetings since everyone's schedules were different," Coleman-Williams said. "But with communication this challenge was solvable, and every meeting was planned around each individual schedule."

Their hard work paid off. The Motmot team said the group's final material stood out thanks to its compelling presentation, attention to detail, consideration of different contexts and populations, and impressive data and dashboard work.

"As strategists, this group demonstrated how vital it is to start by deeply understanding the organization and its operating realities," Smith said. "Strong written materials that reinforce the customers' pain points, alongside a remedy-integrated presentation to tell a clear and compelling story, goes a long way."

An experience to kickstart a career

While the group was thrilled to be named this edition's winner - earning themselves tours of Michigan Central and Newlab, branded swag, and experience in the Career Ready path in Get Involved - Abdullah, Coleman-Williams, Moore, and Omima are above all thankful for the skills and experience Warrior Impact helped them hone and the pride of a job well done.

"It was clear to see where everyone's work made an impact," Abdullah said. "It wasn't just one person's work anywhere - everyone had a role to play and we all contributed. The entire experience is such a great way to build your skills both as an individual and as part of a team."

"Seeing how everyone interpreted this challenge was really satisfying," Omima said. "It was fun to see everything come together in a big picture way. Our outcome matched the goals we'd set."

"Participating in the strategist experience was everything and more," Coleman-Williams said. "It showed me the importance of communication and how beneficial it is in my personal and professional life. We are so proud of our accomplishment and it was nothing short of amazing."

Looking ahead to the next cohort

After the program's success in 2025, the DEED team can't wait to see what the next Warrior Impact strategist teams bring to the table. Thompson noted that each team provided valuable feedback and ideas that will make future strategist experiences even more accessible and dynamic.

"These teams did such an outstanding job, especially since this was the pilot edition of the strategist experience," Thompson said. "Beyond their work for Motmot, they helped us shape the Warrior Impact process through their work, feedback, and adaptability. Our team is going to incorporate the lessons we learned to ensure future cohorts have even more time and space to experiment, reflect, and succeed. We are so thrilled at what's in store for both students and founders alike in the coming cohorts."

Want to participate in Warrior Impact? Apply today using the following student and employer partner forms. Registration for the Winter 2026 cohort ends Jan. 18. Have questions or want to learn more? Contact senior project administrator Kristin Johnston at [email protected] .